For the second part of the chapter "White Tigers" I want to do the job of philosopher king. For this job I have to identify the major themes that occurred in the section.
Make-Believe: A major theme throughout the telling of the ballad of Fa Mu Lan there is a lot make-believe wound in with the reality. An example of this is when she fought the giant general and when she cut off his leg he turned into a snake. This obviously is not true because people can't just turn into snakes when their legs are cut off. Another time the general she was fighting was a genie out of a water gourd. This also can't be true. However the fact that she did battle many generals is true, which means that the truth is hidden in the magic that is told.
Woman are Weaker: This theme is very evident many times in this section. One time that it is evident is when Fa Mu Lan goes to kill the baron. When she tells him that she is a girl, he starts quoting phrases about girls being worse than boys. Two of these phrases are "Girls are maggots in the rice" and "It is more profitable to raise geese than daughters." Also we see this theme when Fa Mu Lan finds all of the women in the Baron's house. The women were locked in a room without any light and their feet were bound. Also when we go back into Maxine's point of view this theme is still obvious in many places. One of these places is when her parents are ashamed that they have two daughters in a row before they had any boys. Also when Maxine's brother returns from Vietnam without being hurt, her family hosts a feast and celebration for him. However, when she returned from college and from marching to change the world, her parents did nothing to recognize her accomplishments.
Racism: We can see this theme when Maxine is working for the art supply house that sold paint. Her boss made a remark about the color "Nigger Yellow". This comment was referring to her. She told him that she didn't like that word, but he didn't care at all. Also this chapter mentions that her family was denied food and work just because they were Chinese.
Women's Hidden Strength: This theme is major because Fa Mu Lan is the most famous Chinese woman that used her hidden strength to help many people and to fight as a general. Also the chapter talks about a legend that the women that were held captive in the Baron's house became a mercenary army of swords-women. This means that all of the time that they were captive they were hiding there strengths that they later released when they became a mercenary army.
Showing posts with label Cycle 19. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cycle 19. Show all posts
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Lexicographer - White Tigers Part 1
For the first part of "White Tigers" I decided to do the job of lexicographer. I decided to do this job because this book holds many difficult words. A lot of the words that I chose from this section of the book were because I didn't know the definition of them.
Alighted (page 19) - to come down from something, to descend
I chose this word because I didn't understand the meaning of it.
Teased (page 19) - to disentangle, to disturb or annoy
I thought that it was interesting how they used this word in the test. I usually associate the word teased with someone making fun of another person. However, in this book it is used as saying something was messy or disentangled.
Brambles (page 20) - any plant that is a genus of the rose family
I chose this word because I didn't understand the meaning of it.
Mussed (page 21) - disarrange, to make untidy
This is another word that was new to me and I didn't know what it meant.
Ideograph (page 23) - a picture or a symbol used in writing
This word was used a lot in the chaptered because they kept talking about the Chinese writing.
White Tigers (page 24) - a certain breed of tigers, white coloring
I chose this phrase because it is the name of the chapter. I don't understand why this is the name of the chapter because so far white tigers haven't played a significant part. They were only mentioned as being in the forest that she was stranded in without food.
Smug (page 25) - highly self satisfying
I didn't know the meaning of this word.
Hindrance (page 25) - impediment, the state of being hindered
Another new word to me, that I didn't know the meaning to.
Self-immolation (page 28) - a willing and self sacrifice of oneself, usually dealing with fire
I chose this word because it was from a strange part of the story. It was from the part when the rabbit jumped into her fire. I thought this was strange because it was like the rabbit was sacrificing its self so that she wouldn't starve any longer. Maybe he ancestors forced the rabbit to do this so that she wouldn't be in pain any longer, they were trying to save her from starvation.
Strata (page 29) - a bed or layer that is artificially made
A word that I didn't know the meaning to.
Alighted (page 19) - to come down from something, to descend
I chose this word because I didn't understand the meaning of it.
Teased (page 19) - to disentangle, to disturb or annoy
I thought that it was interesting how they used this word in the test. I usually associate the word teased with someone making fun of another person. However, in this book it is used as saying something was messy or disentangled.
Brambles (page 20) - any plant that is a genus of the rose family
I chose this word because I didn't understand the meaning of it.
Mussed (page 21) - disarrange, to make untidy
This is another word that was new to me and I didn't know what it meant.
Ideograph (page 23) - a picture or a symbol used in writing
This word was used a lot in the chaptered because they kept talking about the Chinese writing.
White Tigers (page 24) - a certain breed of tigers, white coloring
I chose this phrase because it is the name of the chapter. I don't understand why this is the name of the chapter because so far white tigers haven't played a significant part. They were only mentioned as being in the forest that she was stranded in without food.
Smug (page 25) - highly self satisfying
I didn't know the meaning of this word.
Hindrance (page 25) - impediment, the state of being hindered
Another new word to me, that I didn't know the meaning to.
Self-immolation (page 28) - a willing and self sacrifice of oneself, usually dealing with fire
I chose this word because it was from a strange part of the story. It was from the part when the rabbit jumped into her fire. I thought this was strange because it was like the rabbit was sacrificing its self so that she wouldn't starve any longer. Maybe he ancestors forced the rabbit to do this so that she wouldn't be in pain any longer, they were trying to save her from starvation.
Strata (page 29) - a bed or layer that is artificially made
A word that I didn't know the meaning to.
First Draft of My 1001 Flat World Writing Project
My paternal great grandfather, John Von Pabst, was born in the US to German parents and then raised as young boy in Germany. At the age of twelve he and his mother returned to the US, but their life was far from easy. My great grandfather used to tell my father that as a young boy, some Christmases the only gift they would get was a fresh orange.
Later, as a young man, he served in the US Navy as a sailor during the WWI. Throughout his life he was an extremely loyal and patriotic citizen, which are often traits associated with people of German ancestry. He also possessed the typical Germanic temper. As a young sailor in WWI he was almost court martialed when he punched out his commanding petty officer for calling him a profane name that he felt insulted his mother.
After WWI my great grandfather Pabst (he dropped the Von) settled in the Chicago area, obtained an education as an engineer and become a successful insurance executive. Always a tough pugnacious German, he was nonetheless a very loving and doting father to his three daughters. My grandmother tells a story when she was about 12 years old, of going to get an ice cream cone at Peacocks Ice Cream Parlor in Evanston with her father. As they are sitting on a bench eating their cones, my great grandfather sees a fist fight break out nearby. The next thing my grandmother knows, he takes of his (tailor made) suit coat and tie and hands his ice cream cone to her and joins in the fight.
My great grandfather’s sense of duty and patriotism remained strong and, two years prior the US entering WWII he resigned from his high paying job and enlisted in US Navy as an intelligence officer, using his fluent German language skills to infiltrate the German American Bunds (fraternal organizations) prevalent in the Chicago area at that time. In early December of 1941 he quietly told my grandfather, a young Naval ROTC officer at Northwestern, that we would at war with Japan with a week. It has never been determined within our family whether this prediction was conjecture based on his intelligence work or actual knowledge.
(As an interesting footnote to this incident, my other great grandfather was a life long friend of Admiral Husband Kimmel, the admiral in charge of Pearl Harbor at the time of the attack who was subsequently blamed for not being prepared for the attack and relived of his command. Admiral Kimmel and his supporters, along with Colonel McCormick, the owner of the Chicago Tribune, always contended that President Roosevelt knew in advance of the attack and allowed it to occur to get us into to WWII. In 1999 the United States Senate passed a resolution exonerating Kimmel stating that he was “denied vital intelligence that was available in Washington.")
When the US entered the war in 1941, the Navy, in its infinite wisdom, sent this German speaking intelligence officer to the Pacific war theater as a beach commander to fight in the invasions of Japanese held islands. My grandfather, who also served in the Pacific during the war, today still has the pistol that my great grandfather carried when making beach landings along with two Japanese ceremonial swords that he “liberated” from dead Japanese soldiers he came across during these battles.
Before the US dropped the atomic bombs on Japan, the US was planning on invading the island and, because of its extensive fortifications, the US command was estimating large numbers of US casualties. My great grandfather was scheduled to go in with one of the early assaults and had already written my grandmother to say good bye and to instruct her to take care of her mother and sisters.
After the war he returned to the Chicago area and lived a comfortable life active in the community and his church…..with his daughters and their families nearby. My dad remembers him coming over and babysitting on Saturday nights and building great creations with building blocks and erector sets. He would always leave some money in the cookie jar for my grandparents who were young and on a tight budget.
In the late ‘50’s he moved to West Palm Beach Florida to work with transplanted Chicago insurance legend John D Macarthur (and uncle to James Macarthur of Hawaii 5-0 fame.) Unfortunately, my great grandfather’s temper and principled nature caused a falling out with Macarthur which resulted in him leaving the insurance business. Calling in his early engineering training, in his late 60’s he became the manager of retirement homes, a job he continued with until he died at 84 years of age.
My great grandfather Pabst is buried at the Golden Gate National Veterans Cemetery in San Bruno California near his hero Admiral Chester Nimitz.
Later, as a young man, he served in the US Navy as a sailor during the WWI. Throughout his life he was an extremely loyal and patriotic citizen, which are often traits associated with people of German ancestry. He also possessed the typical Germanic temper. As a young sailor in WWI he was almost court martialed when he punched out his commanding petty officer for calling him a profane name that he felt insulted his mother.
After WWI my great grandfather Pabst (he dropped the Von) settled in the Chicago area, obtained an education as an engineer and become a successful insurance executive. Always a tough pugnacious German, he was nonetheless a very loving and doting father to his three daughters. My grandmother tells a story when she was about 12 years old, of going to get an ice cream cone at Peacocks Ice Cream Parlor in Evanston with her father. As they are sitting on a bench eating their cones, my great grandfather sees a fist fight break out nearby. The next thing my grandmother knows, he takes of his (tailor made) suit coat and tie and hands his ice cream cone to her and joins in the fight.
My great grandfather’s sense of duty and patriotism remained strong and, two years prior the US entering WWII he resigned from his high paying job and enlisted in US Navy as an intelligence officer, using his fluent German language skills to infiltrate the German American Bunds (fraternal organizations) prevalent in the Chicago area at that time. In early December of 1941 he quietly told my grandfather, a young Naval ROTC officer at Northwestern, that we would at war with Japan with a week. It has never been determined within our family whether this prediction was conjecture based on his intelligence work or actual knowledge.
(As an interesting footnote to this incident, my other great grandfather was a life long friend of Admiral Husband Kimmel, the admiral in charge of Pearl Harbor at the time of the attack who was subsequently blamed for not being prepared for the attack and relived of his command. Admiral Kimmel and his supporters, along with Colonel McCormick, the owner of the Chicago Tribune, always contended that President Roosevelt knew in advance of the attack and allowed it to occur to get us into to WWII. In 1999 the United States Senate passed a resolution exonerating Kimmel stating that he was “denied vital intelligence that was available in Washington.")
When the US entered the war in 1941, the Navy, in its infinite wisdom, sent this German speaking intelligence officer to the Pacific war theater as a beach commander to fight in the invasions of Japanese held islands. My grandfather, who also served in the Pacific during the war, today still has the pistol that my great grandfather carried when making beach landings along with two Japanese ceremonial swords that he “liberated” from dead Japanese soldiers he came across during these battles.
Before the US dropped the atomic bombs on Japan, the US was planning on invading the island and, because of its extensive fortifications, the US command was estimating large numbers of US casualties. My great grandfather was scheduled to go in with one of the early assaults and had already written my grandmother to say good bye and to instruct her to take care of her mother and sisters.
After the war he returned to the Chicago area and lived a comfortable life active in the community and his church…..with his daughters and their families nearby. My dad remembers him coming over and babysitting on Saturday nights and building great creations with building blocks and erector sets. He would always leave some money in the cookie jar for my grandparents who were young and on a tight budget.
In the late ‘50’s he moved to West Palm Beach Florida to work with transplanted Chicago insurance legend John D Macarthur (and uncle to James Macarthur of Hawaii 5-0 fame.) Unfortunately, my great grandfather’s temper and principled nature caused a falling out with Macarthur which resulted in him leaving the insurance business. Calling in his early engineering training, in his late 60’s he became the manager of retirement homes, a job he continued with until he died at 84 years of age.
My great grandfather Pabst is buried at the Golden Gate National Veterans Cemetery in San Bruno California near his hero Admiral Chester Nimitz.
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